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Best Movie Villains (1970s to Present)

Villains are an essential part of genre cinema.  Though scores of filmmakers have attempted to create truly great villains throughout the history of film, only a few have succeeded in achieving this difficult goal. Best Movie Villains 2000s The criteria for this article is the villains must be from live-action films only, and must pose …

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‘Hannibal’ could live on in movie form, creator says

A day after it ended, the creator of Hannibal says it could live on in movie form. In an interview with HitFix on Saturday, Bryan Fuller spoke about the possibilities of the show living on in different forms — namely a mini-series or movie. According to Fuller, it is all about financing and finding the …

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Hannibal, Ep. 3.13, “The Wrath of the Lamb”

With “The Wrath of the Lamb”, Hannibal wraps up its run, at least for now. While all involved have been qualifying the episode as merely the series finale on NBC, the show has yet to be picked up anywhere else and several key figures have moved on to new projects. Creator Bryan Fuller has mentioned the possibility of the team reuniting for a film at some point down the line, but for the foreseeable future, this is the series finale of Hannibal, and given its bloody, spectacular climax, that feels appropriate.

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Hannibal, Ep. 3.07, “Digestivo”

It feels safe to say that everyone watching the series Hannibal knows that at some point, barring a complete break from the source material, Hannibal Lecter will end up in police custody. With “Digestivo”, Bryan Fuller and company finally bring this moment to pass, catching up to the lesser informed segment of the audience—those only peripherally familiar with Red Dragon or Silence of the Lambs—and doing so in style.

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‘The Salvation’ delivers an all too rare successful Western

Westerns have never recovered from the oversaturation of the genre that killed off viewer interest decades ago, but every now and then a gem pops up. Recent successes like The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma and the Coen brothers adaptation of True Grit all did well because they tweaked the genre slightly, but director Kristian Levring goes with an old school approach. A faithful recreation of those revenge Westerns made so popular in the 1970s, The Salvation envelopes many elements of previous Clint Eastwood classics and wraps it into a tidy package.

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Redefining a legend: How Mikkelsen’s Hannibal changed the way we look at the villain

When Hannibal first premiered in 2013, no one really expected much. How could a show about one of film’s greatest villains survive on TV, let alone network TV? And from Bryan Fuller, the man who created the delightful Pushing Daisies? But somehow, against all odds, Hannibal has become a visually stunning show that’s among the best …

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Hannibal, Ep. 2.13, “Mizumono” is one of the greatest television episodes of all time

I would imagine that if “Mizumono” screened in front of a live audience, it would get a ten minute standing ovation. Let’s just get this out of the way real quick: “Mizumono” will go down in the books as one of the greatest season finales of all time. There is a seriousness and an intensity here that is unlike anything on the small screen; everything that sets Hannibal apart from every other television show is contained in this season’s riveting last installment. This is a truly inspiring example of classy storytelling and unforgettable characterization, and the collaborative effort of Bryan Fuller, Steve Lightfoot, and David Slade has resulted in something very special for fans of the show.

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Hannibal Ep. 2.11 “Ko No Mono” reveals the entrée but denies us the taste

The episode opens with yet another misleading sequence, although exactly how misleading the gorgeously shot Will-digo transformation/birth scene really is remains to be seen–after all, we still don’t know with any certainty who arranged the Randall exhibit, or whose body was sent flaming down the parkade runway in glorious tribute to Red Dragon’s exemplary Tooth Fairy kill. In fact, I would hasten that there is still a lot that we don’t know about this secret plan which has occupied much of the narrative lo’ these last few episodes. But more on that later.

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Why You Should Be Watching: Hannibal

As a fervent fan of both the films based on the character Hannibal Lecter and the source material written by Thomas Harris, I found myself very excited at the prospect of a television series based on the relationship between the titular cannibalistic sadist and the man who would eventually catch him hiding in plain sight, the highly intuitive Will Graham. When I heard that actors like Mads Mikkelsen, Laurence Fishburne, and Gillian Anderson had signed up to be a part of it, my anticipation became palpable, tempered only by the fear that this would be a short-lived cash-in on a mostly dead franchise. In that regard, I was happy to be mostly wrong.

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Hannibal Ep 2.01 “Kaiseki” fires on all cylinders

The end of the first season of Hannibal left Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) locked up in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Season 2 serves a promising start as Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) and Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) wine and dine on the episode title’s eponymous kaiseki, a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner. Following his arrest for the murders that took place in season one, Will finds himself in a tricky situation where he has to try and prove his innocence while trapped in a cell and while suffering from temporary memory loss. Hannibal Lecter steps into Will Graham’s shoes as the new FBI criminal profiler, and Will struggles to remember how it is Hannibal framed him for the crimes Hannibal clearly committed.

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Hannibal Ep 1.12 “Relevés” sets up a promising finalé

The penultimate episode of Hannibal’s first season offers up a much more low-key hour of television, but it sets up what is promising to be a hell of a finalé. Hannibal is sure to deliver its finest course next week with tensions escalating to a fever pitch. Lives and reputations are on the line and Will (Hugh Dancy) is slowly putting the pieces to the puzzle together. The death of Georgia Madchen (Ellen Muth) leads Will to realize the truth about the copycat killer, while Jack (Laurence Fishburne) begins to have suspicions, and Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) reveals his true self to poor Abigail Hobbs (Kacey Rohl). For a series that is usually dialogue-heavy, Hannibal does an excellent job in ratcheting up the tension.

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Hannibal, Ep.1.08: “Fromage” inches the series closer to becoming a small-screen masterpiece

Breaking Bad; Boardwalk Empire; Mad Men, Justified; Sons Of Anarchy; Louie; Girls; Shameless, The Americans; Game of Thrones; The number of new quality TV series keeps growing and we can now add Hannibal to that list.

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Hannibal, Ep.1.04: “Coquilles” gives the audience a better look at Jack Crawford, while still keeping an eye on Will’s mental health

A recurring theme in Hannibal’s first three episodes has been an exploration of how getting into the mindset of serial killers affects Will, as he is unable to slip out as easily as he slips in, something that is beginning to take its toll on him. Each case that Will has taken on has chipped away at his psyche a bit more, and while Dr. Lecter is ostensibly helping Will retain his sanity, the psychologist clearly has another plan in mind. The toll that working with the FBI is having on Will’s sanity is further explored this week, in another atmospherically scary episode that gives the audience a look at the life of Jack Crawford.

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Hannibal, Ep.1.03: “Potage” – solid direction and a great cast make up for a few minor missteps

Hannibal, Season 1, Episode 3: “Potage” Directed by David Slade Written by David Fury, Chris Brancato and Bryan Fuller Airs Thursdays at 10pm EST on NBC Hannibal, only three episodes in, has already surpassed expectations. As Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen exchange barbs and witticisms every week, the desire to keep watching only grows. As …

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